Star Fox 64 had quite a few different ways of playing it. There were a few routes that you could take, a few ways to play certain levels, and special goals to accomplish throughout. In short, the game has a lot of replay value to it, not mentioning how fun it is. The N64 version did not have the ability to save. I'm pretty sure it was not a technological issue, seeing as how other games could save on the system. The game was meant to be played in on sit down, which added depth to the game in a way.

The most important thing about the game itself was that it was down right fun. You had three team mates with dialogue of their own through the levels, and at times they needed help fighting off enemies, or even gave you assistance, like Slippy bringing up the shield strength of the boss you're fighting against. This too adds replay value. You go into a new game, thinking to yourself "which route will I take this time? Which members of my team will make it? Will I get the goals achieved?"

There are so many thing to do in such a short time, it makes it worth going through plenty of times. I myself have played the original N64 version so many time I lost count, on both the N64 itself and the virtual console from the Wii. This game could help a kid who is active outside during a rainy day, help a young adult on a car ride to visit family members, give an old school fan a taste of sweet nostalgic greatness. That's what two hour can do with this game.

You're welcome. I would recommend it to almost anyone. It's a nice game to sit down and play whenever you're bored or looking for a quick fun play through. It's obviously not a game that you're going to get a massive fifty hour experience with a compelling story like Mass Effect or Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic, but it is still a great game.

tylerok knows it. The game has a bunch of replay value, which I can see increasing with some of the new features in this game. Mission select is one. Also, the medal system is addicitve. It means getting a certain amount of hits in a level to earn a medal for the planet. I hear the medal system will now have bronze, silve, and gold levels. The original medal system just had one medal for planet. I think this game will be awesome.

This game will sell like crazy because it's incredibly fun, easy to blow through on a road trip or whatever and is a massive nostalgia trip for those of us who first played it fourteen years ago... minus the rumble.

It still amazes me how, after 17 years since I first played a Star Fox game, people still don't get the point of the game. Whoever envisioned it at Nintendo EAD must have felt extremely frustrated at times, I'm sure.

The game should also be a bit more self-explanatory on what its' goal is, as I can perfectly understand why some people would feel worried after finishing it once, not knowing about the multiple possible paths and consequent endings.

^Nintendo didn't come up with it though. They shouldn't have to explain something that should already be explained.

Star Fox is a SHMUP (shoot-em-up) and the genre has been around longer than Nintendo has been making them. Its an arcade-style kind of shooting game that's focuses on playing through the game quickly and repeatedly and racking up the highest scores possible through practice, memorization, and skill. Games like Galaga, Xevious, Gradius, the 1940's series, Metal Slug, Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga, and Sin and Punishment are all SHMUPS like Star Fox and follow the same format of only being a few hours long (often much less if you're good), but designed to be replayed over and over for higher scores and more challenge.

Its just a shame that kids these days never grew up in the era where the idea of playing through a game more than once or twice was even considered an option, let alone the appeal of the game. Truth is, I usually have just as much (if not more) fun for more hours with short games like Star Fox and Sin and Punishment, or speedrunning Metroids than I get out of long epic titles.

The thing with the Star Fox series is that it introduced a very appealing storyline, something that the typical games of this genre, like the ones you mentioned, didn't focus much on. Hence why I understand how some people look at it as an adventuresque flying game, and feel disappointed after beating it once. This is unfortunate, as it is indeed a shoot-em-up with a very high replay value due to the compelling campaign with multiple endings and the challenge of pursuing high-scores. I find this specially valid after Star Fox 64 was released, since the original Star Fox didn't have a save system.